The real, meaning 'royal, was first introduced by Portugese settlers and became Brazil's official currency in 1690. It was not sub-divided in smaller units. The modern real (plural reais) was introduced on July 1, 1994.

A baht is also a unit of weight for gold and is commonly used in jewellers and goldsmiths in Thailand. The currency was originally known as the tical and this name was used in the English language text on banknotes until 1925.